Pneumatic carrier



June 11, 1935. G. H. Ross PNEUMATIC CARRIER Filed NOV. 16, 1935 51114.L.vnullilInvrlrlnlfllitfllllllllln AToRNEY Patented June 11, 1935 d t UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Y 2,004,134 Y i PNEUMATIC CARRIER George H. Ross, Brooklyn, N. Y. Application November 16, 1933, Serial No. 698,248 16 Claims.4 (Cl. 243-35) This invention relates to devices such as carn Fig. `2 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical secriersfor pneumatic systems that `are used in the tional viewvthereofv taken on line 2-2 of Fig. 3, transmission of articles, such as papers and the the article holding means being retracted. Y I like. l l Fig. 3-isa horizontal sectional view taken on .g5 .Gne object of the invention is to provide a line 3 3 of Fig. 2. With JChe article holding means .5

vdevice of the character described having imretracted. proved means forholding articles or papers ci Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 3 but showing varying lengths `including lengths greater than the article holding meansin maximum projected .that ofthe 'carrier compartment without necessior contracted position.

1o tating that thearticies or papers be distorted or Fig. 5 is a fragmentary horizontal Sectional `110 otherwise reduced in length to conformto the view oi the tube and the lower anchor ring for length of the carrier compartment; and another the top piston element,.showing a frictional lockobject of the invention `is to provide a carrier for ing means. a pneumatic system, which carrier shall have imi The advantages of the invention as here outproved means for holding or gripping an article lined are best realized when all of its features l15 or paper disposedin the carrier irrespective of and instrumentalitiesare combined in one and the diameter or bulk oi the .article or paper. the same structure, but, useful devices may be Another object of the invention is to furnish a produced embodying less than the whole.A `device of the nature set forth wherein a carrier `It .will be obvious to those skilled in the 4art to 2o for a pneumatic system includes a closure, and which the invention appertains, that the `same 20 Y improved means for-actuating the same, or for may `be incorporated in several different ,conactuating any holding means for an article or structions. The accompanying drawing, there- :paper in the carrier; and `another object of the fore, iS Submitted merely aS .ShOWIlg the preferred inventionis to cause the` actuating lmeans tobe exemplication roi the invention.

1controlled by a movable piston ring ci the car- Referring in detail to the drawing, mllldenotes frier, `which ring may be movable in the sense a holding device that can be used in a stationary .that its relation t0 the Can-ier tube may vbe `as well as in a movable manner, but is illustrated altered. V to the bestadvantage as a carrier element of a, Another object of the invention is to construct movable, andpreferably e `pnellrrlete SYStema carrier for a pneumatic system, having laten The device` I0 may include generallyacontainer t30 ally movable'or contractible means for releasably or tube I I, made of metal, leather, and the like, gripping an article or object and maintaining the closed in any suitable manner at one end I2, and ,Same in general central alinement with the caropen or adapted to be opened at its upper end rierof the tube, particularly if the article or obl I3 so thatarticles or papers may be inserted lltO ject projects from the tube. y the tube `and retainedgtherein in the course of 35 Afurther object of the invention is to provide the travel of the carrier through the pipes or a device of the type mentioned having relatively ducts of the pneumatic system. The `device IU few and simple parts, and which is inexpensive mayalso include external piston portions or sealto manufacture, neat, compact, durablereliab1e ing rings or elements such as I4, I5 disposed at land efficient in use,` and which can be applied to the upper and lower ends of the tube, respectively, ,40

Vstandard or conventionalpneuniatic systems. whereby'the difference of pressurein the pneu- Other objects and advantages of the invenmatic system will actuate the carrienand Without ltion Vwill become apparent as the specification permitting portions of the tube to come into conproceeda tact with said pipes, especially at bends thereof.

45 With the aforesaid objects in view, the inven- The elements I4, I5 may consist of `any material ,45

tion consists in thenovel combinations and arsuitable for sealing action, and may be made, for rangements of parts'hereinafter described in their instance, of` felt. `As so far described, the conpreferred embodiments, pointed out in the substruction of the carriermay be conventional.r `ioined claims, and illustrated in the annexed The tube II may have at its upper end a suit- 1350 drawing, wherein like parts are designated vby Vable annular compartment I6. The latter may I5.0 'the same reference characters throughout th be providedby a channel formation I'I, that may several views. i ydesirably be integral with the tube I I, and which 1n the drawing: Y may include an annular ilange I8 bent outwardly l Figure 1 is a viewin side elevation showing a from the tube, andra reversely `bent `cylindrical 5.5 1device embodying the invention. ange 1 I9 extending from the ange I8. Communicating with the compartment I6 are one or more openings or slots 2U which may be of equal length and equally angularly spaced from each other. These slots may have their upper edges 2| in the plane of the inside face 22 of the wall I3. At a suitable distance below the slots, the tube may be formed with an external holding means such as an annular groove portion 23, which can thus be readily pressed into the tube wall.

For closing the compartment I6, an angle shaped ring 24 may be used, which may have annular flanges 25, 26, the first being adapted to seat on the edge of the flange I9, and the latter to be snugly slidable along the tube I I. To releasably hold the ring 24 in compartment closing position, a split, resilient ring 21 may be snapped into the groove 23 in position to tightly abut the adjacent edge of the flange 26.

The piston I4 rests against the angle member 24 and slidingly embraces the tube I I at the surface 23. At the lower edge of the piston, a retaining ring 29 may be provided lying generally in a plane, but having a plurality of upwardly recessed portions 3U removably set into corresponding openings in the piston I4, and said recessed portions being adapted to individually receive nuts 3I for bolts 32. Thelatter are equal in number with the slots ZI) and extend through elongated holesin the piston I4 parallel to the axis thereof. At its lower end, each bolt may have an undercut stop portion extending through a central hole of the recessed portion into threaded connection with the nut 3|. At its upper end each bolt may be suitably secured to the ring 24, preferably byextending through and being welded or soldered to the flange 25. In this manner the piston I4 is securely held in position and may be `readily removed from position by disconnecting '-the nuts 3I, so that the ring 29 and hence the piston14 can be slid downward along the tube I I. Moreover, access may be had to the compartment I6, by forcing the ring 21 downward, so that the ring 24 can be moved correspondingly.

It will be further noted that the elements 24,

I4, and 29, with their interconnecting bolts form invention.

In the compartment I6 a plurality of angularly movable stub shafts or pivot pins 33 may be provided, in association with the slots 2|), and said pins may be secured to the ring 24 by constituting 'end portions of the bolts 32 extending into the compartment. On each of these pins is mounted a swingable means such as a nger or pawl 34 V-alined with an adjacent slot 2D for movement therethrough along the surface 22 of the compartment wall I8. These fingers extend in the same angular direction and each may have a bearing head 35 journaled on its respective pin 33 and resting on the flange 25, to support the nger at the required elevation. It will be evident that the ngers constitutes a circular series angularly movable along the compartment under actuation of the pins 33, and hence of the unit 24, I4, 29.

Coacting with the fingers 34 are actuating means responsive to the angular movement of the fingers, such as cams 36 with which the outer curved faces of the fingers may have wiping contact. It is thus seen that if the series of fingers is turned clockwise, the fingers are all simultaneously and equally swung inward by the cams to pass through the slots 20 and to enter the tube II along a common plane. It will be observed that the swinging motion of the fingers from initial position can occur only if the angular motion concurs therewith, since in the initial position, the wall of the tube II, as indicated at the ends 31 of the slots engages the fingers to retain the same wholly within the compartment I6, whereby accidental projection of the fingers and obstruction thereby of the tube passage is prevented. When projection of the fingers has once begun, the same may swing inward freely, but such motion is opposed by the articles or papers in the tube II, gripped by the ends or points 38 of the fingers, so that the swinging motion is controlled mainly by the'cams 36.

In order to limit the angular motion of the fingers 34, stops 39 may be provided adjacent to the hubs 35 of the different fingers. Thus in retracting the fingers, angular motion may occur until these'hubs strike the stops, and in projecting the fingers the angular motion is away from the stops as shown in Fig. 3, according to which a small angular motion may be had before the projecting or after the position of full retraction is obtained, as the case may be, whereby the fingers may be reliably locked against accidental movement from the compartment I6. y

Desirably one of the cams 36 and one of the stops 39 may be of integral construction, as a one piece element 4B extending the full height of the compartment I6, and between the wall II and the flange I9, and suitably rigidly connected to proper stationary lportions of the compartment.

If additional locking or frictional means be desired to assure that the fingers 34 will be maintained in a set position, and in the event that the frictional engagement between the piston I4 and the tube I I at the surface 23 be insufficient, or is subject to wear, one of the rings I1, 29, such as the latter may have a spring tongue 4I bent upward underneath the piston I4 and arranged for frictional contact with a roughened or grooved external surface 42 of the tube I I.

The manner of using the device will now be described. With the holding means 34 of the carrier Il] in the retracted position shown in Fig. 2, any papers or articles are quickly and freely inserted into the tube I I. The operator then, with a single rapid motion,`grasps and turns the piston I4, operating the actuating means for causing projection and contraction of the holding means about the papers or articles.. A reasonable turning pressure is sufficient, and the device is frictionally retained set. The holding means engages around the papers or articles if the same project from the tube, and hold such projecting portion tightly and in substantial alignment with the tube. If the papers or articles be sufficiently short to be wholly received in the tube, the holding means may be completely closed as shown in Fig. 4. But whether the articles be long or short, they may be gripped by the holding means and thus held against loss or movement relative to the tube, while the carrier travels through the pneumatic system. The arrangementand proportions of the parts of the carrier may of course be such as to facilitate the travel thereof unobstructedly along the curves and bends of the system, and this result is aided by thecentralized holding of an article that projects from the tube. When it is desired to remove the article from the tube, a short reverse turning motion of the piston I4 completely retracts the fingers 34.

It will be understood that the holding means may be variously operated, although the piston I4 aords a particularly convenient handhold for this purpose; and likewise, various holding or closure devices may be operated by a movement of the piston I4.

It will be appreciated that various changes and modifications may be made in the device as shown in the drawing, and that the same is submitted in an illustrative and not in a limiting sense, the scope of the invention being defined in the following claims.

I claim:

1. A device including an open ended carrier for pneumatic systems, said carrier having a rotary piston coaxial therewith and adapted to have its relation to the carrier coaxially changed, and means movable laterally to the carrier for holding an article in the carrier, said means being controlled by said piston and being retained by the latter in different lateral positions.

2. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube, and means mounted on the carrier for holding an article therein, said means being contractible with respect to the tube axis for engaging and gripping around an article received in the tube.

3. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a container having an opening at one end thereof, and contractible means at said opening for engaging and retaining an article in the container, said means being movable transversely of said opening, said end of the container being otherwise permanently open, and said container having a piston head movably mounted thereon for actuating the contractible means.

4. A piston carrier for pneumatic systems including movable means for laterally engaging an article in the carrier, means for actuating and setting the movable means in different positions for engaging the article, and a movable piston for controlling the actuating means.

5. A carrier for pneumatic systems including means for movably engaging around an article in the carrier, and means for actuating the first mentioned means.

6. A carrier for pneumatic systems including means for centrally compressing and engaging an article in the carrier, so that the article is maintained in substantially alined relation with the carrier.

7. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube, laterally movable means on the carrier for retaining articles of dilferent sizes in thetube, and angularly movable means coaxial with the carrier for actuating the laterally movable means.

8. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube, movable means on the carrierv adapted to be set for retaining an article in the tube, differently movable actuator means for the movable means, and means frictionally engaging the carrier for maintaining the actuator means in set position.

9. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube, laterally movable means thereon for retaining an article against release from the tube,

and actuator means for the movable means, including means journaled on the tube and having frictional engagement therewith.

l0. A carrier for pneumatic systemsincluding a tube having an element disposed along a wall of the tube and actuable to swing inward from said wall for engaging an article against release from the tube, and cam means for actuating said element, the latter and the cam means being arranged for relative angular movement about the axis of the tube.

l1. A carrier for pneumatic systems including means for movably engaging around an article in the carrier, means coordinated with the first mentioned means for relative movement therebetween to actuate the latter, and a rotary pistonV for actuating the rst mentioned means.

l2. A carrier for pneumatic systems including means for centrally compressing and engaging an article in the carrier to maintain the article in substantial alinement with the carrier, cam means coordinated with the first mentioned means for relative movement therebetween to actuate the latter, and a piston movable on the carrier for actuating the first mentioned means.

13. A carrier for pneumatic systems includingV a tube having an element disposed along a Wall of the tube and actuable to swing inward from said wall for engaging an article against release from the tube, and cam means for actuating said element, the latter and the cam means being arranged for relative angular movement about the axis of the tube, and the carrier having a piston movable about said axis for controlling said relative movement.

14. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a l tube having an annular outside compartment at Y one end thereof, a piston ring journaled on the tube, movable means` adjacent to said compartment for projection into the tube and for retraction into the compartment, actuator means in the compartment for the movable'means, and means interconnecting the piston ring and the actuator meansfor operation of the latter by the former.'

l5. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube having an arcuate compartment extending coaxially along the outside thereof, said vcompartment and tube having an opening therebetween, article holding means laterally movable through said opening for projection into the tube and for retraction into said compartment, means in the compartment disposed for relative coaxial movement therewith for actuating the article holding means, and guide means in the compartment for causing the movement of the article holding means.

16. A carrier for pneumatic systems including a tube having an element disposed along a wall of the tube and actuable to swing inward from said Wall for engaging an article against release from the tube, and cam means for actuating said element, the latter and the cam means being arranged for relative angular movement about the axis of the tube, said cam means being located at one end of the element, and stop means at the other end of the element for limiting said relative movement.

GEORGE H. ROSS. 

